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1 GAO January 2008 United States Government Accountability Office Report to the Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives BANK FEES Federal Banking Regulators Could Better Ensure That Consumers Have Required Disclosure Documents Prior to Opening Checking or Savings Accounts a GAO

2 January 2008 Accountability Integrity Reliability Highlights Highlights of GAO , a report to the Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives BANK FEES Federal Banking Regulators Could Better Ensure That Consumers Have Required Disclosure Documents Prior to Opening Checking or Savings Accounts Why GAO Did This Study In 2006, consumers paid over $36 billion in fees associated with checking and savings accounts, raising questions about consumers awareness of their accounts terms and conditions. GAO was asked to review (1) trends in the types and amounts of checking and deposit account fees since 2000, (2) how federal banking regulators address such fees in their oversight of depository institutions, and (3) the extent that consumers are able to obtain account terms and conditions and disclosures of fees upon request prior to opening an account. GAO analyzed fee data from private data vendors, publicly available financial data, and information from federal regulators; reviewed federal laws and regulations; and used direct observation techniques at depository institutions nationwide. What GAO Recommends To help ensure that consumers can make meaningful comparisons among depository institutions as intended by TISA, GAO recommends that the federal banking regulators assess the extent to which customers receive disclosures on fees, and account terms and conditions prior to opening an account and incorporate into their oversight, as needed, steps to assure that disclosures continue to be made available. The federal banking regulators agreed with GAO s recommendation and outlined responsive actions, including working on an interagency basis to revise Regulation DD examination procedures. To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on GAO For more information, contact David G. Wood at (202) or What GAO Found Data from private vendors indicate that average fees for insufficient funds, overdrafts, returns of deposited items, and stop payment orders have risen by 10 percent or more since 2000, while others, such as monthly account maintenance fees, have declined. During this period, the portion of depository institutions income derived from noninterest sources including fees on savings and checking accounts varied but increased overall from 24 percent to 27 percent. Changes in both consumer behavior, such as making more payments electronically, and practices of depository institutions are likely influencing trends in fees, but their exact effects are unknown. Federal banking regulators address fees associated with checking and savings accounts primarily by examining depository institutions compliance with requirements, under the Truth in Savings Act (TISA) and its implementing regulations, to disclose fee information so that consumers can compare institutions. They also review customer complaints but do not assess whether fees are reasonable. The regulators received relatively fewer consumer complaints about fees and related disclosures less than 5 percent of all complaints from 2002 to 2006 than about other bank products. During the same period, they cited 1,674 violations of fee-related disclosure regulations about 335 annually among the 17,000 institutions they oversee. GAO s visits to 185 branches of 154 depository institutions suggest that, despite the disclosure requirements, consumers may find it difficult to obtain information about checking and savings account fees. GAO staff posing as customers were unable to obtain detailed fee information and account terms and conditions at over one-fifth of visited branches and also could not find this information on many institutions Web sites (see fig.). Federal regulators examine institutions written policies, procedures, and documents but do not determine whether consumers actually receive disclosure documents. While consumers may consider factors besides costs when shopping for accounts, an inability to obtain information about terms, conditions, and fees hinders their ability to compare institutions. Percent of Depository Institution Branches and Web Sites at Which GAO Could Not Obtain Comprehensive Lists of Fees and Terms and Conditions Comprehensive fee information Account terms and conditions Source: GAO Percentage Institution Web site Branch visit United States Government Accountability Office

4 Contents Table 3: Number of Institutions Surveyed by Moebs $ervices, Table 4: Definition of Institution Size Categories 45 Table 5: Number of Institutions for Which Informa Research Services Collected Data, Table 6: Issues Raised by Options for Warning Consumers That They May Incur an Overdraft When Using a Debit Card at a Point-of-Sale Terminal or ATM 66 Table 7: Average Fees, All Institutions, Table 8: Average Fees, All Institutions, Figures Figure 1: Possible Outcomes of an Insufficient Funds Transaction 11 Figure 2: Average Insufficient Funds, Overdraft, Return of Deposited Item, and Stop Payment Order Fees, All Institutions, Figure 3: Banks, Thrifts, and Credit Unions Interest Income and Noninterest Income as a Percentage of Total Income and the Federal Funds Rate, Figure 4: Banks and Thrifts SCDA and Credit Unions Fee Income as a Percentage of Total Income, Figure 5: Complaints Related to Four Major Products for All Federal Regulators 30 Figure 6: Percentage of Depository Institution Branches and Web Sites We Visited That Did Not Provide a Comprehensive List of Fees and Terms and Conditions 39 Figure 7: Path of a Typical PIN-Based Debit Card Transaction 57 Figure 8: Path of a Typical Signature-Based Debit Card Transaction 59 Figure 9: Path of a Typical Debit Card Transaction at an ATM 60 Figure 10: Complaint Resolutions Made by Federal Regulators 72 Page ii

5 Contents Abbreviations ACH ATM CAESAR CCS EFT FDIC NCUA OCC OTS PIN PIRG SCDA STARS TFR TISA Automated Clearing House automated teller machine Complaint Analysis Evaluation System and Reports Consumer Complaint System electronic funds transfer Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Credit Union Administration Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Office of Thrift Supervision personal identification number U.S. Public Interest Research Group service charges on deposit accounts Specialized Tracking and Reporting System Thrift Financial Reports Truth in Savings Act This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. Page iii

6 AUnited States Government Accountability Office Washington, D.C January 31, 2008 Leter The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney Chairwoman Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Committee on Financial Services House of Representatives Dear Chairwoman Maloney: In 2006, consumers paid over $36 billion in various fees associated with checking and savings accounts at depository institutions banks, thrifts, and credit unions. 1 Members of Congress, consumer groups, and others have raised a variety of concerns about these fees for example, whether depository institutions have increased fees as a source of revenues and if so, the impact of this trend on consumers. Additionally, some have questioned how regulators address fee practices in their oversight of depository institutions and whether consumers, prior to opening a checking or savings account, are able to obtain information on fees and depository institution practices that influence when fees are assessed. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) has established regulations for checking and savings accounts that require depository institutions to disclose certain information about the fees they charge. Specifically, Regulation DD, which implements the Truth in Savings Act (TISA), requires depository institutions to disclose (among other things) the amount of any fee that may be imposed in connection with an account and the conditions under which such fees are imposed. 2 Regulation E the other primary federal regulation governing checking and savings account fees implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and establishes the basic rights, liabilities, and responsibilities of consumers who use electronic fund transfer services and of financial institutions that 1 Checking accounts at credit unions are called share draft accounts. For purposes of this report, the use of the term checking accounts includes share draft accounts C.F.R (b)(4) and Pub. L. No , title II, subtitle F, 105 Stat (Dec. 19, 1991), codified at 12 U.S.C Page 1

7 offer these services. 3 To ensure compliance with these and other relevant laws and regulations, banks, thrifts, and credit unions are subject to oversight at the federal and state level. 4 This oversight includes on-site examinations and other steps to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations. In 2005, partly in response to concerns about the marketing, implementation, and fees of overdraft protection programs being offered by depository institutions, the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC and NCUA jointly and the OTS separately issued guidance (interagency guidance) outlining best practices that address, among other things, communicating the features of these programs to customers. 5 You requested that we examine a number of issues related to the fees that consumers pay on their checking and savings accounts. This report discusses (1) the trends in the types and amounts of fees associated with checking and deposit accounts since 2000 and available information on the characteristics of consumers that incur fees; (2) ways that federal and selected state banking regulators address checking and deposit account fees in their oversight of depository institutions; and (3) the extent to which consumers are able to obtain information on account terms and conditions and on fees, including information about specific transactions and bank practices that determine when such fees are assessed, upon request prior to opening an account. In addition, appendix II of the report presents information on issues related to providing real-time account information at point-of-sale terminals and automated teller machines (ATM) that could help consumers avoid certain fees C.F.R. Part 205 and Pub. L. No , title IX, as added Pub. L. No , title XX, 2001, 92 Stat (Nov. 10, 1978), codified at 15 U.S.C. 1693, 1693a-1693r. 4 The Federal Reserve has responsibility for state-chartered banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System, while the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) oversees state-chartered banks with federally insured deposits that are not members of the Federal Reserve System. National banks are overseen by the Department of the Treasury Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), while its Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) oversees federally chartered and state-chartered savings associations with federally insured deposits. The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) oversees federally chartered and state-chartered credit unions whose member accounts are federally insured. Statechartered banks, thrifts, and credit unions are also subject to supervision by the state in which they are chartered. This report uses the term federal banking regulators to refer collectively to the Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, OCC, and OTS Fed. Reg (Feb. 24, 2005) (OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, and NCUA); 70 Fed. Reg (Feb. 18, 2005) (OTS). We refer to the joint guidance and OTS guidance collectively as interagency guidance. Page 2

8 For the first objective, we engaged the services of a private sector firm Moebs $ervices, Inc. to obtain data on selected fees associated with checking and savings accounts from 2000 to 2007 and similar data from another private sector firm Informa Research Services, Inc. from 2000 to We interviewed representatives of these two firms to understand their methodology for collecting the data and ensuring its integrity. In addition, we conducted reasonableness checks on the data we received to identify any missing, erroneous, or outlying data and concluded that the data were sufficiently reliable for use in our report. To determine the role that these fees have played in depository institutions revenues, we also obtained and analyzed quarterly financial data submitted by federally insured banks, thrifts, and credit unions and maintained by FDIC and NCUA. In our past work, we have found the quarterly financial data maintained by FDIC and NCUA to be sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our reports. We also reviewed the literature for studies or information on the characteristics of consumers who might be likely to incur such fees and interviewed representatives of the federal banking regulators about this issue. To determine how federal and selected state banking regulators address fees associated with checking and deposit accounts as part of their oversight of depository institutions, we obtained and reviewed examination manuals and guidance used by the five federal banking regulators and state regulators in six states. 6 We obtained and reviewed a sample of 25 reports on examinations conducted during 2006 to identify how these regulators carried out examinations for compliance with Regulations DD and E. 7 In addition, we obtained data from each of the federal banking regulators on violations they cited for institutions noncompliance with Regulation DD and Regulation E disclosure-related provisions, as well as enforcement actions that each regulator took against institutions from 2002 to We also obtained annual data on consumer complaints concerning checking and savings accounts at depository institutions particularly complaints related to fees and disclosures as well as complaints for other major products (credit cards and mortgage loans) referred to these regulators from 2002 to To assess the reliability of data from the five federal banking regulators, we reviewed 6 The six states are California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York. We selected these states to illustrate a variety of regulatory efforts and for geographical dispersion. 7 We reviewed five examinations from each regulator that were selected for dispersion by asset size of the institution and by geography. These examinations, however, are not representative of all federal bank regulators examinations. Page 3

9 relevant documentation and interviewed agency officials. Finally, we interviewed officials from each of the federal banking regulators and from six state banking regulators about these issues. To assess the extent to which consumers are able to obtain account terms and conditions and disclosures of fees, we used direct observation techniques and reviewed studies and reports by government agencies, consumer groups, and other researchers. We also reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations, and guidance issued by the federal banking regulators. For direct observation, GAO employees posed as consumers shopping for checking and savings accounts and visited 185 branches of 154 banks, thrifts, and credit unions throughout the nation to request documents on the fees associated with basic checking and savings accounts. 8 We selected these institutions to ensure a mix of institution type (bank, thrift, and credit union) and size; however, the results cannot be generalized to all institutions. These employees also reviewed information from the institutions Web sites. To obtain information on issues related to providing consumers with real-time account information during debit card transactions at point-of-sale terminals and automated teller machines, we reviewed available literature from the Federal Reserve and other sources and met with officials from depository institutions, card associations, thirdparty processors, and trade organizations. We conducted this performance audit from January 2007 to January 2008, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Appendix I explains our objectives, scope, and methodology in greater detail. Results in Brief According to data from private vendors, average fees for some checking and savings account features such as overdrafts, insufficient funds (instances in which an institution denies a transaction that would result in 8 GAO employees followed a standard script and process. If the first or second bank employee encountered did not provide the requested information, or if the GAO employee was instructed to wait, and a period of 10 minutes or more elapsed without the information being provided, we characterized the result of the visit as unable to obtain the information. Page 4

10 an overdraft but charges a fee), returns of deposited items, and stop payment orders have generally risen since 2000, while others for example, monthly account maintenance fees have generally declined. For example, the average overdraft fee increased by about 11 percent (after inflation adjustment) between 2000 and 2007 among institutions surveyed by Moebs $ervices. The data also indicate some variation in fees by type and size of institution, with banks and thrifts charging higher fees on average than credit unions, and larger institutions charging more on average than midsize and smaller institutions. During this same period, the portion of income that depository institutions derived from noninterest sources including, but not limited to, fees on savings and checking accounts varied, but generally increased from about 24 percent to 27 percent of income from all sources. Changes in both consumer behavior and the practices of depository institutions are likely influencing these trends in fees. For example, consumers are increasingly using electronic forms of payment that result in rapid or even immediate debits a development that may mean an increasing number of charges for insufficient funds or overdrafts. Additionally, many depository institutions have automated overdraft protection programs that have been increasingly marketed to customers. However, we were not able to analyze the demographic characteristics of customers that incur bank fees because doing so would require transaction-level data for all account holders data that are not publicly available. FDIC is currently reviewing the overdraft programs of some of the banks it supervises, including reviewing transaction-level data to help determine the characteristics of consumers who incur fees related to overdrafts, but its study will not be completed until late Federal banking regulators address fees associated with checking and savings accounts primarily by examining depository institutions compliance with statutory and regulatory disclosure requirements and reviewing customer complaints. However, regulators generally do not address the reasonableness of fees assessed. The examination procedures for financial institutions compliance with Regulations DD and E, which are similar across the five federal banking regulators, consist largely of a review of an institution s written policies and procedures and a sample of disclosure documents. Since 2005, NCUA has included examination procedures specifically addressing institutions adherence to the 2005 interagency guidance concerning overdraft protection products and, in September 2007, all of the regulators revised their Regulation DD examination procedures to include reviews of the disclosures associated with such products offered by institutions that advertise them. While Page 5

11 regulators received a large number of checking account complaints, they received relatively fewer complaints specifically concerning fees and related disclosures less than 5 percent of all complaints received from 2002 to Further, the regulators reported a total of 1,674 instances in which they cited an institution for violation of the fee-related disclosure sections of Regulations DD and E from 2002 to 2006 (an average of about 335 annually among the nearly 17,000 institutions these regulators supervise). According to the regulators, the regulators took only two formal enforcement actions during this period related to these violations because most institutions took corrective actions during the course of the examination or shortly thereafter. The six selected state regulators we spoke with told us that their primary focus is on safety and soundness issues and compliance with state laws and regulations. Four of the six state regulators told us that they assess compliance with federal regulations such as Regulations DD and E. Like the federal regulators, the states reported receiving relatively few consumer complaints associated with checking and savings account fees and disclosures. Our visits to 185 branches of depository institutions nationwide suggest that consumers shopping for accounts may find it difficult to obtain account terms and conditions and disclosures of fees upon request prior to opening an account. Similarly, our review of the Web sites of the banks, thrifts, and credit unions we visited suggests that this information may also not be readily available on the Internet. We were unable to obtain, upon request, a comprehensive list of all checking and savings account fees at 40 of the branches (22 percent) that we visited. Similarly, we were unable to obtain the account terms and conditions, including information on when deposited funds became available and how overdrafts were handled, for checking and savings accounts at 61 of the branches (33 percent). The results are consistent with those reported by a consumer group that conducted a similar exercise in While the revised Regulation DD examination procedures call specifically for reviewing disclosures associated with overdraft protection products, the federal banking regulators do not have procedures to assess whether potential customers actually receive these or other disclosures. Consumers may consider convenience or other factors besides costs when shopping for checking or savings accounts, but this inability to obtain information about fees and the conditions under which fees are assessed upon request prior to opening a 9 U.S. PIRG, Big Banks, Bigger Fees 2001, PIRG National Bank Fee Survey (Washington, D.C.: November 2001). Page 6

12 checking and savings account hinders their ability to make meaningful comparisons among institutions. This report contains recommendations to the five federal banking regulators to incorporate into their supervision of financial institutions a means of ensuring that fee and other disclosure documents are made available to consumers upon request before opening an account, as intended by TISA and Regulation DD. We requested and received written comments on a draft of this report from FDIC, the Federal Reserve, NCUA, OCC, and OTS that are presented in appendixes V through IX. In their written responses, all five banking regulators indicated agreement with our report and stated that they will be taking action in response to our recommendation. For example, OCC stated that it would incorporate steps, as needed, into its oversight of institutions compliance with TISA to assure that disclosures continue to be made available. The Federal Reserve and NCUA specifically mentioned the need to revise, improve, or strengthen the current interagency Regulation DD examination procedures. All five agencies indicated that they plan to address this issue on an interagency basis. We also received technical comments from FDIC and the Federal Reserve, which we have incorporated in this report as appropriate. Background Depository institutions banks, thrifts, and credit unions have attained a unique and central role in U.S. financial markets through their deposittaking, lending, and other activities. Individuals have traditionally placed a substantial amount of their savings in federally insured depository institutions. In addition, the ability to accept deposits transferable by checks and other means has allowed depository institutions to become principal agents or middlemen in many financial transactions and in the nation s payment system. Depository institutions typically offer a variety of savings and checking accounts, such as ordinary savings, certificates of deposits, interest-bearing checking, and noninterest-bearing checking accounts. Also, the same institutions may offer credit cards, home equity lines of credit, real estate mortgage loans, mutual funds, and other financial products. Page 7

13 In the United States, regulation of depository institutions depends on the type of charter the institution chooses. 10 The various types of charters can be obtained at the state or national level and cover: (1) commercial banks, which originally focused on the banking needs of businesses but over time broadened their services; (2) thrifts, which include savings banks, savings associations, and savings and loans and which were originally created to serve the needs particularly the mortgage needs of those not served by commercial banks; and (3) credit unions, which are member-owned cooperatives run by member-elected boards with a historic emphasis on serving people of modest means. All depository institutions have a primary federal regulator if their deposits are federally insured. State regulators participate in the regulation of institutions with state charters. Specifically, the five federal banking regulators charter and oversee the following types of depository institutions: OCC charters and supervises national banks. As of December 30, 2006, there were 1,715 commercial banks with national bank charters. These banks held the dominant share of bank assets, about $6.8 trillion. The Federal Reserve serves as the regulator for state-chartered banks that opt to be members of the Federal Reserve System and the primary federal regulator of bank holding companies, including financial holding companies. 11 As of December 30, 2006, the Federal Reserve supervised 902 state member banks with total assets of $1.4 trillion. FDIC supervises all other state-chartered commercial banks with federally insured deposits, as well as federally insured state savings banks. As of December 30, 2006, there were 4,785 state-chartered banks 10 See GAO, Financial Regulation: Industry Changes Prompt Need to Reconsider U.S. Regulatory Structure, GAO (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 6, 2004) and GAO, Financial Regulation: Industry Trends Continue to Challenge the Federal Regulatory Structure, GAO (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 12, 2007) for additional information on oversight of the U.S. financial services industry. 11 A bank holding company is a corporation that owns or controls one or more U.S. banks. A financial holding company is a bank holding company engaged in a broad range of financial activities, including for example insurance underwriting, securities dealing and underwriting, financial and investment advisory services, merchant banking, issuing or selling securitized interests in bank-eligible assets, or generally engaged in any nonbanking activity authorized by the Bank Holding Company Act. See 12 U.S.C Page 8

14 and 435 state-chartered savings banks with $1.8 trillion and $306 billion in total assets, respectively. In addition, FDIC has backup examination authority for federally insured banks and savings institutions of which it is not the primary regulator. OTS charters and supervises federally chartered savings associations and serves as the primary federal regulator for state-chartered savings associations and their holding companies. As of December 30, 2006, OTS supervised 761 federally chartered and 84 state chartered thrifts with combined assets of $1.4 trillion. NCUA charters, supervises, and insures federally chartered credit unions and is the primary federal regulator for federally insured state chartered credit unions. As of December 30, 2006, NCUA supervised 5,189 federally chartered and insured 3,173 state chartered credit unions with combined assets of $710 billion. These federal regulators conduct on-site examinations and off-site monitoring to assess institutions financial condition and compliance with federal banking and consumer laws. Additionally, as part of their oversight the regulators issue regulations, take enforcement actions, and close failed institutions. Regulation DD, which implements TISA, became effective with mandatory compliance in June The purpose of the act and its implementing regulations is to enable consumers to make informed decisions about their accounts at depository institutions through the use of uniform disclosure documents. These disclosure documents are intended to help consumers comparison shop by providing information about fees, annual percentage yields, interest rates, and other terms for deposit accounts. The regulation is supplemented by staff commentary, which contains official Federal Reserve staff interpretations of Regulation DD. Since the initial implementation date for Regulation DD, several amendments have been made to the regulation and the corresponding staff commentary. For example, the Federal Reserve made changes to Regulation DD, effective July 1, 2006, to address concerns about the uniformity and adequacy of information provided to consumers when they overdraw their deposit Page 9

15 accounts. 12 Credit unions are governed by a substantially similar regulation issued by NCUA. 13 Regulation E, which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, became effective in May The primary objective of the act and Regulation E is the protection of individual consumers engaging in electronic funds transfers (EFT). Regulation E provides a basic framework that establishes the rights, liabilities, and responsibilities of participants in electronic fund transfer systems such as ATM transfers, telephone bill-payment services, point-of-sale terminal transfers in stores, and preauthorized transfers from or to consumer's bank accounts (such as direct deposit and Social Security payments). The term electronic fund transfer generally refers to a transaction initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer, or magnetic tape that instructs a financial institution either to credit or to debit a consumer's asset account. Regulation E requires financial institutions to provide consumers with initial disclosures of the terms and conditions of EFT services. The regulation allows financial institutions to combine the disclosure information required by the regulation with that required by other laws such as TISA as long as the information is clear and understandable and is available in a written form that consumers can keep. Paying or honoring customers occasional or inadvertent overdrafts of their demand deposit accounts has long been an established practice at depository institutions. As shown in figure 1, depository institutions have four options when a customer attempts to withdraw or access funds from an account that does not have enough money in it to cover the transaction, and fees can be assessed for each of these options. The institution can (1) cover the amount of the overdraft by tapping a linked account (savings, money market, or credit card) established by the customer; (2) charge the overdraft to a linked line of credit; (3) approve the transaction (if electronic) or honor the customer s check by providing an ad hoc or courtesy overdraft; or (4) deny the transaction or decline to honor the customer s check. The first two options require that customers have created and linked to the primary checking account one or more other accounts or a line of credit in order to avoid overdrafts. The depository institution typically waives fees or may charge a small fee for transferring money into the primary account (a transfer fee). Depository institutions Fed. Reg (May 24, 2005). 13 See 12 C.F.R. Part 707. Page 10

16 typically charge the same amount for a courtesy overdraft (an overdraft fee) as they do for denying a transaction for insufficient funds (an insufficient funds fee). Figure 1: Possible Outcomes of an Insufficient Funds Transaction Institutions options Customer actively signs up for option Type of fee Overdraft to a linked account Institution pays overdraft by transferring funds from customer s linked account through an automated process. Overdrawn account $ $ $ Linked savings account, money market account, or credit card A per-transaction overdraft transfer fee. a Overdraft to a line of credit Institution pays overdraft by charging customer s linked line of credit through an automated process. Overdrawn account Line of credit Credit charged for amount of overdraft A per-transaction overdraft transfer fee. b Ad hoc overdraft Institution s decision is discretionary and may be manual or automated, but an overdraft program is not publicized to the institution s customers. Overdrawn account $ $ $ Bank A per-transaction overdraft fee. Courtesy overdraft Institution's decision is discretionary and may be manual or automated, but the institution publicizes or promotes an overdraft program to its customers. The institution also typically discloses the dollar limit for covering overdrafts. Overdrawn account $ $ $ Bank A per-transaction overdraft fee. Transaction denied c Institution does not honor transaction, usually a check. A per-transaction insufficient funds fee. Source: GAO. a Some banks may charge only one transfer fee per day. Also, if consumers link overdrafts to credit cards, then they may be subject to finance charges in addition to a transfer fee. b The consumer may be subject to finance charges in addition to a transfer fee. c If an electronic transaction is denied at the point of sale because of insufficient funds, the consumer typically is not charged an insufficient funds fee because the transaction is not completed. For payments involving checks, merchants may also charge a returned check fee in addition to what is charged by the bank. Page 11

17 In addition to fees associated with insufficient funds transactions, institutions may charge a number of other fees for checking and savings account services and transactions. As shown in table 1, these fees include periodic service charges associated with these accounts and special service fees assessed on a per-transaction basis. Table 1: Selected Periodic and Special Service Fees Associated with a Checking or Savings Account Fee Account maintenance Electronic banking or bill payment services ATM surcharge Foreign ATM Returns of deposited items Stop payment order Applicability Assessed typically on a monthly basis for maintaining a checking or savings account. Depository institutions frequently waive routine service fees for customers who maintain a monthly minimum balance or meet other requirements, such as for direct deposits of paychecks. Assessed typically on a monthly basis for customers who opt for electronic banking or bill payment services. Assessed by a depository institution for a nonaccount holder s use of its ATM. Assessed on a transaction basis by a depository intuition for an account-holder s use of another depository institution s ATM. Assessed on a transaction basis by a depository institution when its account holder deposits a check that is then returned unpaid to the originating institution (for example, because of insufficient funds). Assessed by a depository institution for processing an account holder s order to withhold payment on a check already written. Source: GAO. Some Fees on Checking and Savings Accounts Increased between 2000 and 2007, and Institutions Reported Increasing Revenues from Fees Our analysis of data from private vendors showed that a number of bank fees notably charges for insufficient funds and overdraft transactions have generally increased since 2000, while others have decreased. 14 In general, banks and thrifts charged higher fees than credit unions for checking and savings account services, and larger institutions charged more than smaller institutions. During this same period, the portion of depository institutions revenues derived from noninterest sources including, but not limited to, fees on savings and checking accounts increased somewhat. Changes in both consumer behavior and practices of depository institutions are likely influencing trends in fees, but limited data exist to demonstrate the effect of specific factors. FDIC is currently conducting a special study of the overdraft programs that should provide 14 Some fees have increased and decreased since 2000, but have an overall increase in the time period analyzed. Page 12

18 important insights on how these programs operate, as well as information on characteristics of customers who pay overdraft bank fees. Since 2000, Checking and Savings Account Fees Have Increased for Some Transactions and Services and Declined for Others Data we obtained from vendors based on annual surveys of hundreds of banks, thrifts, and credit unions on selected banking fees indicated that some checking and savings account fee amounts generally increased between 2000 and 2007, while a few fell, notably monthly maintenance fees. 15 For example, as shown in figure 2, average insufficient funds and overdraft fees have increased by about 11 percent, stop payment order fees by 17 percent, and return deposited item fees by 49 percent since GAO analyzed data from two private vendors, Moebs $ervices, Inc. and Informa Research Services, Inc. Moebs $ervices provided data gathered through telephone surveys for each of the years 2000 through 2007, based on statistically representative samples of institutions. Informa Research Services provided data for each of the years 2000 to The Informa Research Services data were typically gathered from retail banks with large market shares in specific areas and are not statistically generalizable to other institutions. Because the data provided by Moebs $ervices cover more years and are statistically representative of all depository institutions, we relied on those data primarily to characterize overall trends in fees. For more detailed information on the characteristics of data sets and the data reported by each vendor, see appendixes I and III. 16 We also obtained this data from Informa Research Services (see app. III). Unless noted otherwise, dollar amounts in the report and figures are shown in 2006 dollars, calculated using the Consumer Price Index calendar year values. Page 13

19 Figure 2: Average Insufficient Funds, Overdraft, Return of Deposited Item, and Stop Payment Order Fees, All Institutions, Dollars (adjusted for inflation) 25 Insufficient funds Overdraft 20 Stop payment order 15 Returns of deposited item Year Source: GAO analysis of Moebs $ervices data. Across all institutions, average insufficient funds and overdraft fees were the highest dollar amounts, on average, of the fees reported. For example, the average insufficient funds fee among the institutions surveyed by Moebs $ervices in 2006 was $24.02, while among the institutions surveyed by Informa Research Services it was $ Data from Informa Research Services also indicated that since 2004 a small number of institutions (mainly large banks) have been applying tiered fees to certain transactions, such as overdrafts. For example, an institution may charge one amount for the first three overdrafts in a year (tier 1), a higher rate for overdrafts four to six of that year (tier 2), and an even higher rate for overdrafts seven and beyond in a single year (tier 3). Of the institutions that applied tiered fees in 2006, the average overdraft fees were $26.74, $32.53, and $34.74 for tiers 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The data from these vendors also indicate that fee amounts for some transactions or services varied or generally declined during this period. For example: Page 14

20 The average ATM surcharge fee (assessed by a depository institution when its ATM is used by a nonaccount holder) among institutions surveyed by Moebs $ervices was $0.95 in 2000, rising to $1.41 in 2003, and declining to $1.34 in This variability was also evident in the fees charged by institutions surveyed by Informa Research Services. The average foreign ATM fee (assessed by a depository institution when its account holders use another institution s ATM) generally declined, from $0.92 in 2000 to $0.61 in 2006 among institutions surveyed by Moebs $ervices and from $1.83 to $1.14 over the same period among institutions surveyed by Informa Research Services. The average monthly maintenance fees on standard noninterest bearing checking accounts decreased from $6.81 in 2000 to $5.41 in 2006 among institutions surveyed by Informa Research Services (Moebs $ervices did not provide data on this fee). Additionally, an increasing number of the surveyed institutions offered free checking accounts (with a minimum balance required to open the account) over this period. For example, in 2001 almost 30 percent of the institutions offered free checking accounts, while in 2006 the number grew to about 60 percent of institutions. Finally, some fees declined in amount, as well as in terms of their prevalence. For example, Moebs $ervices reported that the institutions it surveyed charged annual ATM fees, generally for issuing a card to customers for their use strictly at ATMs, ranging from an average of $1.37 in 2000 to $1.14 in However, Moebs $ervices stopped collecting data on this fee because, according to a Moeb s official, fewer and fewer institutions reported charging the fee. Similarly, Moebs $ervices reported that the institutions it surveyed charged an annual debit card fee, generally for issuing a card to customers for their use at ATMs, averaging from $0.94 in 2000 to $1.00 in 2003; but, it stopped collecting this data as well. (Informa Research Services reported data on these fees through 2006, when they averaged $0.44 and $0.74, respectively.) Appendix III contains further details on the data reported by Moebs $ervices and Informa Research Services, in both nominal and real dollars. A number of factors may explain why some fees increased while others decreased. For example, greater use of automation and lower cost of technology may explain why certain ATM fees have decreased or been eliminated altogether. Additionally, competition among depository institutions for customers likely has contributed to the decrease in monthly Page 15

Attachment Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Credit Union Administration Joint Guidance on Overdraft

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